Combined signal and parking light for motor cars



S. R. LEESON COMBINED SIGNAL AND PARKING LIGHT FOR MQTOR CARS FiledSept. 15. 192l mandoct. 2, 1928.

lulirreo "STATES.

. i s'rmny a. mason,

PATENT OFFICE.

or LAnEwoon, OHICL'L- sromm rnnxme near non moroacnns,

provide':

a means for showing a signal light "towards the'front of a motor car andto} wards the rear, when the car is standing ll1 a parked position, thusproviding for the amount of safety topassing 'veh1- "j cles andconserving the electrical energy iii-both directions.

.-1 employed whichis yisihle from'the roadway Second, 'to provide' meansfor controlling ammonia of light produced, to'adaptthe lamp to'diiferentand distinctusesin which 'a greater or 'lessamount oLjIIumination isrequired, as, for when the car is parked .a lightof fionitwoto, sixcandle power will be suflicient to bevisible at a distahce, and whenfunctioning :as a-signalling L device, to indicates down-,or'a stop or'change of. direct on, a much higher amount of illuminationais required,such. as that of a -lamp oftwenty one-to fifty candle .3 -.Third, toprovide a light and an 7 electric therefor, and a in saidcircuit whichis theoperation ofonefof the controllingdevices of, the car, such thebrake or clutch lever, or rod, Fonirth, toprol'ide hi connefition withegrear" anger sign a orwar y pro ect light, which serves :asa parkinglight, and

- is employed as a precautionto inform all approaching-vehicle of theposition of the car.' 1c I 1 "Fifth, to providea means for indicating.

byjthe glowing of a 'red light visiblefrom f. "the rear to the manorca'r approaching from v the rea'gthat a full stop or slowing-down of]car 49 speed, or'a change of direction of the in front, is about to bemade.

The invention comprises, a shell or casing, 1 into a reflector isfitted. This casing is positioned atth'eleft side ofthe car, and

# a lamp therein is designed to project its rays both towards the frontand rear of the car. The reflector is illuminated by means of an 7electric light at or adjacent to the focal point e of the reflector,which in turn casts its rays through a. red or danger signal lens at therear. The reflector is also provided with a central opening in its wall,the purpose of which is to enable the rays of light, emanating r m theelectric light in front of the re- The objects of the invention are tonse,' s 1nce one source of light is a and .when functioning as adangerlsign al,

Ep'ower. 1

.' and arranged. tobreak the circuit leading to j Application mea'stembei- 15,1921. Serial No. soasae.

'flector, to be projected-towards t hehfontu and to illuminates;lens,'preferably formed of opalescent or green glass, according to theregulations of individual fitates, and which lens is secured in-thefront wallof the outer shell orcasing. r 1 a 'The shell is soconstructed as to; form chambers of different sizes, which are spa ratedby the transverse reflectorin the manner of a partition. In this manner,the light projected from 165 one lens is prevented from being confusedwith; or diflused into, the light 1 projected r from the other lens,thus providing-a 'se arate parking light andia separate-tailpurposes,that is, for. a danger signal, and-.

for combined parking and tail light-purposes,pthe first requiringthe'h-igher candle power; and the second, the lower candle This is accomlished by means of a bulb, containing two laments, of di'fit'erentcandlepower, and a' two-way switch constr cted one filamentsimultaneously withclosingthe circuit to the'other filament. The invention furthercomprises the comr bination' and arrangement of parts, and'constructionof the various details, hereinafter described, shown in the accompanyingdraw'- in'gs, andspecifically pointed out in the claim. 1 x

In the-accompanyingdrawin'gs, Fig. lis a side elevation ofacar,.sho'wing the mode of operation of the device; Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the lamp; Fig; 3 is a rear ele-j tion thereof; Fig. 5 is avdiagra lamp circuitsf y; The lamp comprises, a casing, A, having areduced front portion, I, and an electric lamp,-J, is secured to thecasingby means of a. transversely placed socket, so that its ra'ys canbe-projected towards t hc front- "vation thereof Fig. 4 is-alongitugiinasef It e " and rear without interference from the socket.

A reflector, L, is also placed in the man ner' of a partition betweenthe front and rear portions of the casing, and separates it into twochambers. I

The lamp is placed at the focal point of the reflector, and its rays areprojected rear- Wardly through a red or otherwise colored transparencyor glass wall, M, detachably secured in the casing.

"forwardly through a central opening in the The 'work Stop, or Slow,or-any desired dangersign, may be pressed in theglass, to

arrest the attention of a following driver,

although the red light projected therefrom is a sufficient signal tonotify the driver of the following carthat the car with the light isabout to stop, slow down, or change d1-.

rect'ion. I

The rays of the lamp arev also projected wall of the reflector, and passthrough an opalescentor translucent glass lens, 0, at

the front'of the smaller chamber. 7

This light is softened anddiffused by the opalescent nature of the lens,0, and'is so directed as to appear at the side .of the car,

so that the driver of a passin car can see it clearly after he haspassed y the blind ing headlights. v A

E This'is all the more necessary, since car drivers do not alwaysremember to dim the headlights, to accommodate them to'the eyesight ofthe driver of an approaching car.

The distance of the opalescent lens fromy the source of lightand'central opening in the reflector should be such'that the raysprojected from the opening should include the entire surface of thelens, as shown in Fig. 4, or a black spot in the projection may be theresult.

That is, the lens, 0, should focus on the lamp through the opening, andthe opening should allow those rays which fall upon that portion of themirror to pass through, without being made so large as to destroy theefliciency of the reflector for projecting the rays to therearthroughthe danger lens, M. The lamp should preferably be providedwith two filaments,X and Y, one being of.

less candle power than. the other, to permit 'the strength ofthe'illumination to be relamp, a front and a rear lens, an incandescentlamp between the two lenses to project light through each lens having asingle bulb with a .pair of filaments of different light emittingintensity therein, and means for selectively effecting fiow of currentthrough either filament to the exclusion of the other,

whereby the filament of .lesser intensity serves for parking use and theother filament serves for combined parking and stop signal ,use.

In testimony'whereof, I hereunto setmy I hand this 13th day ofSeptember1921.

" STANLEY n. LEESON. W

